Turning the pages of this guide, it’s tempting to hear everything shouting ‘take me home!’, and before you know it you’ll have a shopping basket full of fabulous foliage. However, it’s worth taking a little time to assess the growing conditions in your house to ensure your plants will appreciate their new home. When you’re adding plants to your home, the effect is stunning. Any room is suddenly more tranquil and inviting. While you’re creating your ‘look’, keep in mind that plants aren’t static ornaments or accessories – they’re living entities that need to be in a spot to suit them.
The single most important thing to look at is the light level. While you might like to stand in full sun, many plants won’t tolerate it. Next comes the temperature of the room – is it a chilly hallway or that living room shelf close to the radiator? Humidity is another vital consideration. Some plants will adore living in your bathroom – and even being in the shower with you – while others prefer near-desert conditions.
Get the location right and a plant can be with you for years and will even be happy to move house with you. It just needs a little thought. To start you off, we’ve created this at-a-glance guide on the opposite page. You can see which plants are considered easy to care for and the conditions they prefer. We’ve also indicated the best locations based on typical room conditions – for instance, a bathroom-lover like a fern yearns for the kind of humidity not commonly found in a living room or bedroom, while a cast iron plant shrinks from sunlight and will settle happily into a gloomy corner of the hall.
Once you’ve identified the right plant for you, just turn to the page indicated to find a more in-depth profile of your potential new housemate. And don’t worry, you’re not alone in this – your plant will tell you if it would like to move. You just need to pay it a little attention and ask if it’s feeling its best each day.
At-a-glance guide
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CAST IRON PLANT
Aspidistra
Fully deserving of its common name, cast iron plant, the aspidistra is extremely resilient and has a wonderful ability to thrive on very little care. The fact that it also copes with pollution gives rise to its alternative name, bar-room plant.
The aspidistra is an elegant foliage plant with tough, leathery leaves, perfect for a shady corner where other plants may fail. It can also be kept outdoors during warmer months.
A firm favouri
